Marley the Service Dog
by kbrucker
Summary: Marley is a service dog for Maxinne, a young girl who suffers from epilepsy. Maxinne's family is making their first ever trip to Walt Disney World. Marley is excited for the trip, but he has some reservations. He has never flown before, and his family keeps referring to some other dog named Pluto (who he can only assume to be his long lost brother).


Chapter 1

I know what you're thinking, how do I, Marley, the world's most mischievous dog, become a service dog. Well, for starters, John and Jenny just couldn't handle my craziness. They tried, they really did, but my "enthusiastic" nature was no match for them. John and Jenny made the tough choice to give me to a rescue for labradors with, well to put it nicely, "unique personalities." Don't be fooled, the other pups here were nuts. One dog howled at nothing all night long. Another had a nervous breakdown whenever he couldn't catch his tail, and my most favorite dog was the one who attacked the humans whenever they tried to leave the house. Talk about a stage 5 clinger. Luckily for me, Natalie, the owner of the rescue, saw special potential in me. I was only 5 months old, but she believed I didn't fit in at the insane asylum for dogs. Natalie decided I might just be able to be a service dog. Natalie sent me to an associate of hers who trains service dogs for children with epilepsy. I was excited for the new opportunity, but I was more excited to be leaving the crazy dogs that surrounded me. I was starting to believe that I was one of them. Unfortunately, the new service dog program was just down the street from Natalie's house, which meant if I was very quiet, I could still hear the howling of the psycho dog at night. I showed up to my first day of training to realize I was the oldest dog there. Apparently this training stuff starts at a very young age. Even though I was the oldest pup, I was far behind everyone else in the class. These other dogs already knew how to sit, stay, and even roll over. Let me tell you, this service dog training was much more intense than obedience school. I flunked out of obedience school the first week, but that's another story. Let's just say you shouldn't use your instructor's shoes as a grass pad. If I really wanted a shot at becoming a service dog, I decided no Puppuccinos (the Whiteclaws of the dog world) this time around. I studied for service dog training, and I studied hard. When the human holds a treat you evidently don't lunge for it, but rather listen to what the human has to say, then you get the treat. When your human needs help, you find help. When your human presents signs and scents of an oncoming seizure, you alert your human. I managed to catch up to the rest of my class quickly, and in two short years, I graduated with honors. I was now a seizure response and alert dog. I met my assigned human immediately after graduation.

Chapter 2

At the time, Maxinne was a 9 years old. She is 11 now and continues to suffer from generalized epilepsy. Maxinne and her family live in the Midwest. After graduation, we embarked on the long drive from Florida to their home. Maxinne is my human, my whole world. I would follow her anywhere (and not just because I am trained too.) I alert Maxinne when she is about to have a seizure. Her seizures are very random. I also respond when she has a seizure, by getting an adult human to help. I go with Maxinne to school and to her gymnastics classes. 11 year olds don't go anywhere very exciting, let me tell you. An occasional ice cream shop or mall (I never get out of the Justice store without glitter in my fur. I hate that place.), but nothing out of the ordinary. Christmas is in a few days, and I have heard some murmuring from Maxinne's parents, Karen and Jeff, about her Christmas present.

"She's going to be so excited. Walt Disney World is going to be a blast!"

"I know! I wonder how Marley is going to do on the plane."

Um hello? I AM a professional here. I think I will do just fine on whatever this "plane" thing is. How dare Karen question my abilities. What does a dog have to do to get some respect around this household? *Mental Note: chew Karen's slippers, after she goes to bed.* Anywho, I did some googling in my spare time. Turns out Walt Disney World is the happiest place on earth...or so they say. If I get my paws on one of those turkey legs that Google images showed, it sure will be. In addition to the turkey legs, Google images showed some unique looking characters. There was a stunning yellow dog (not more stunning than me, because I mean, have you seen me?), but he does bear a striking resemblance to me. His name is Pluto. (I hope he was not offended when the planet was reclassified as a dwarf.) Another thing I noticed from looking at these Google images was that the trees looked very similar to those that I would pee on at the labrador insane asylum. All of the trees in the Midwest are now covered in snow, so I make my potty breaks much quicker. I am certainly excited to see Maxinne's reaction to her gift, since Karen and Jeff appear to be so excited. It's a good thing Christmas is only a few days away. I am not a very patient pup.

Chapter 3

"Marley get up! It's Christmas!"

I race down the stairs with Maxinne, and I bark as we run. It's time for Maxinne's present! Maxinne and I turn the corner to see Karen (with her chewed slippers on, point Me) and Jeff sitting with a big box on the couch. Maxinne opens the box to reveal plane tickets, matching t-shirts (although Karen seems to have forgotten mine *Mental note: lick Karen's toothbrush*), and Mickey Mouse ears.

"Walt Disney World? Really? And we get to take a plane? I can't wait to meet all of the characters, especially Pluto!" Maxinne screams.

Karen laughs. "Yes! Isn't it exciting?"

Obviously it's exciting Karen that's why she screamed.

Maxinne nods excitedly. "When do we leave?"

"Our flight is tomorrow morning" Jeff says.

Tomorrow morning? I bark at the news. You would think Karen and Jeff could have at least given me a little heads up so that I did not have to pack at the last minute. Wait! Did Jeff just say flight? As in that is a plane's purpose. To fly? Oh no. We are not birds, if God wanted us to fly he would have given us wings. I will be brave. I will not have Karen question my abilities. Besides, if dodo birds can get up in the air so can I. More importantly, Maxinne just mentioned Pluto. I wonder if she knows why he looks so similar to myself. After we finish opening presents (I got several new chew toys and a dapper red collar), Maxinne tells me we must start packing. I grab a few of my least favorite toys (least favorite incase the plane goes down), my blanket, and a bone. I gently place them in Maxinne's suitcase. Evening came quickly, and my humans ate their Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, they did not spill any food for me to clean up, but I did sneak a lick of Karen's turkey when no one was looking. Maxinne and I began getting ready for bed when I hear Karen yell.

"Marley! Why are there teeth marks on my toothbrush?"

Probably from your teeth Karen, duh. I crawl onto my bed amused (another point for me, Karen really needs to get it together.) That will show her for forgetting my t-shirt.

Chapter 4

It's Disney day! I jump off of my bed, and I run to wake up Maxinne. Maxinne and I make our way downstairs and eat breakfast. We gather up the last of our bags, and the family heads to the car. We hit the road only five minutes late. (My fault. I have a small bladder. I hope that it does not present a problem on the plane.) We arrive at the airport, and I am immediately overwhelmed by the noisy planes over head. Luckily, my service dog training prepared me for an array of environments and experiences. As we walk inside the airport and through security I start to feel nervous about the flight ahead. I guess I missed the lesson on how to fly in service dog training (oh wait! I know they didn't teach one. Probably because we are not supposed to be 30,000 feet in the air!) We board the plane, and I sniff around in Karen's purse for a Xanax. No luck. I take my seat next to Maxinne and hope for sleep. To calm myself down, I think about how much I love Maxinne, and how this is a very exciting trip for her. I drift off dreaming about Pluto when a thought occurs to me. What if Pluto and I were actually related? I don't remember my litter mates, but I have always wanted to know a blood relative of mine. Since I don't know anyone related to me, it sometimes feels like I don't have a family to belong too. I finally fall asleep holding on to the thought that I might actually have a relative. My nap passes quickly, and I wake up just in time to watch out the window as the plane lands. I have never been so glad to see the ground (and grass, I really have to potty.) We get off the plane and start out on our adventure.

Chapter 5

It is day 4 of our Disney vacation. We fly back home in 3 days, and I still haven't seen Pluto yet. Apart from not meeting Pluto, our vacation has been a blast. We have visited Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom (my personal favorite. Lost of new smells.) Today we are visiting Magic Kingdom.

Maxinne pets my head. "I have high hopes of meeting Pluto today, Marley."

I bark in agreement. Pluto has to be at Magic Kingdom. We leave the hotel, and head out for the day. There sure is a lot of walking at the "happiest place on earth." My paws are starting to get tired. Oh! And I haven't gotten a turkey leg either. Karen gave me a stern "NO," when I whined and gave my best puppy dog eyes asking for one. That's fine. I'll just steal her snack for the day. We arrive at Magic Kingdom, and make our way inside. It is very crowded inside the park. I stay close to Maxinne, so that we don't get separated. While Jeff and Maxinne go on rides, I wait with Karen. After Jeff and Maxinne finishing riding Splash Mountain, they decide we should take a lunch break (It's about time, I'm starving.) As we walk to the restaurant, Jeff and Karen say that they need to use the restroom.

"Maxinne, will you be ok to wait outside the bathroom with Marley?"

"Yeah, Mom. I'll wait right by the door."

Just as Jeff and Karen walk into the bathrooms, I spot him. There he was, walking across the street. Pluto. I immediately bark in hopes of getting his attention. He doesn't even turn his head. He must not have heard me. I bark again and nudge Maxinne hoping that she will notice Pluto too. This was my chance. I could finally ask Pluto if he knew if we were related. If he was my family. Since the thought first occurred to me, I haven't stopped thinking that I might actually get to meet someone from my family. Unfortunately as soon as I nudge Maxinne, I notice she has a scent of an oncoming seizure. She can't be having a seizure now. Not on her special trip, and not when we are just about to meet Pluto. I look at Maxinne to see if she is having any signs of a seizure. Sure enough, she was having a staring spell, and her arms began to jerk uncontrollable. I look across the way to see if Pluto was still close. He was walking away. I was going to lose my opportunity to talk to him, unless I ran over to him. For an instant, I debate running to him, but then I look at Maxinne. She needs my help. She was my human. I had to alert Jeff and Karen. In that instant I realized that Jeff, Karen, and Maxinne were my true family. It doesn't matter if we were related by blood. They are who I come home to every day. They are the ones who make sure I get fed, and that I have a place to sleep. Most importantly, they love me. I bolt into action. I start barking at the bathroom door. I bark as loud as I can. Karen comes rushing out. She immediately starts tending to Maxinne. I bark at the other bathroom door in order to alert Jeff. Jeff runs out and begins to help Karen with Maxinne. We quickly find a quiet and secluded spot for Maxinne to finish her seizure.

Chapter 6

After Maxinne's seizure she begins to cry. I walk over and put my head on her lap to comfort her.

Maxinne stops crying. "Thank you for helping me Marley. I love you."

I lick her cheek in response. Her tears were salty. That reminds me. Maxinne needs food immediately after her seizures in order to regulate her blood sugar. I bark at Karen to remind her. (Geesh, you would think Karen could handle this simple task.)

"I'll go get you some food, Sweetie. What do you want?"

A turkey leg Karen. I want a turkey leg. Oh wait, you meant Maxinne.

"A cheeseburger, please."

I bust out my puppy dog eyes one last time for that turkey leg.

"Fine, Marley. I'll get you a turkey leg."

Karen really is wrapped around my paw. I spin excitedly. Jeff and Maxinne laugh, while Karen rolls her eyes. Jeff, Maxinne, and I sit on a bench and wait for Karen to return with our food. I sigh in contentment. These were my humans. My pack. I am very grateful that I got out of the dog insane asylum, and that I finally found my family.

Chapter 7

Unfortunately, we had to cut our trip short because of Maxinne's seizure. Jeff and Karen thought it would be best to get Maxinne home so that she could see her doctor, but they promised we would come back to Walt Disney World this summer. Maybe then I might actually get to meet Pluto. Although, it doesn't really matter if we are related or not. I have realized who my true family is. We arrive at the airport in order to fly home, and in no time we are boarding the plane. I sit down at Maxinne's feet while we wait for everyone else to board the plane. A young man sits in the seat on the other side of Karen. He puts his bag under his seat, and I notice his bag is made up of mesh. I see Pluto's head through the bag. I am deeply disturbed. I mean deeply disturbed. Just then he starts talking to Karen.

"Hi, I'm Jake. I noticed your Disney bag. Did you have a good trip? I am an intern there. I work in the costume department."

Wait a minute...


End file.
